portraits & events

Nature

What a beautiful day for a family photo session in the Great Smoky Mountains! I found a new, beautifully manicured location, plush with roses, a fun bridge and a water fountain! I can’t wait to use this little place more often. These girls were the best models! I can’t get over that twirl in the tutu<3

Contact me for information and pricing for your next fun family photo session!All rights to photos are included with each session

I am so fortunate to love in the Great Smoky Mountains! The national park just completed one of the most beautiful parkways that Tennessee has to offer. The views this drive offers is absolutely amazing! Usually driving in the park, traffic gets jammed because there is a bear in sight. On this road, traffic stops for the unbelievable mountain views! The entrance to this section of the parkway is only 20 minutes from my home, so this is such a treat. I cannot wait for a cloudy day!

I am always trying to find new editing styles and I came across this vintage-y one to try on a nature shot. What do ya think??

One of my favorite feelings is being on the TIP-TOP of a mountain. Specifically miles deep into the woods and up the ridges of these peaks. There is absolutely nothing like being on the tip-top crest, maybe 3 feet wide, and a view opposite of this.
Thankfully, I have a special spot close to home that gives me that “top of the world” feeling 🙂
Hidden behind the lush green, and deep down in the valley, is a view of Pigeon Forge to the left and Wears Valley Road travels all along the right.

I have been given an amazing opportunity! My close friend, Jason, owns the awesome Creative Carvers in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee- located in Wears Valley at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. He has a small shop space and has asked to fill it with my work! I put in an order of canvases of my favorites. Please excuse my cell phone quality photo. The sunflower canvas is actually framed and bordered in gold. I am so thrilled with the quality of these prints!

I even went as far as test my graphic design ability and made a proof for a magnet (bottom image). It is always good to step out of the comfort zone! You never know who is interested in something… you’re not! So I’m trying my photography on different products.

If you would like to see my photography on a specific item, message me and let’s talk!

Forks of the River Sunflowers

I was thrilled to finally have visited a sunflower field, let alone when a storm was rolling in. As soon as I pulled up, I became ecstatic with the dark, ominous clouds rolling in. What awesome contrast! The sunflowers are now passed their prime, but they are definitely something toCHECK OUTin the future!

Sometimes I will have a vision of a photo and sometimes it will take me years to grab it and sometimes it is something that I have to do right then and there. Night photography is becoming more and more of an interest for me, so now I am trying to expand a bit.
Last night the image of Greenbrier in the Great Smoky Mountains popped into my mind. This would probably be one of the most photographed areas in this section of the park. I set up my tripod at around 9 o’clock. Thank goodness being a hiker has provided me with awesome shoes because I had to stand in the water with the tripod to get that angle I was looking for. Let me tell you, 30 degrees in the Smoky Mountains is a lot warmer than 30 degrees a mile high in Boulder, CO. When I saw the back of my camera, I got so exceptionally excited!

The photo below of Knoxville, Tennessee’s Henley Street Bridge has been in my vision for at least 2 years. Can you believe that?? I walked by the spot and looked out and saw the view of Henley Street and thought that I would love to photograph from here. So about a week ago, I went for it!

I was born and raised in the Gatlinburg area and reside in Sevierville. It has taken me a while to even want to venture into the burnt and scarred areas of Gatlinburg since the fires, but today I decided to do so. As I drove through Chalet Village, the hardest hit area, I was overcome with the feeling of not belonging. The bareness of the area, seeing absolutely nothing but a driveway, gave me chills. But then I started noticing these stars nailed on trees by empty lots once full of life. They were handmade stars of hope. Each on had a motivational quote or word: love, keep smiling, life is a gift, you can do it. And then I got chills all over again, every star I saw…

I have seen countless photos of the destroyed area. But nothing prepares you for seeing it in person.